SocialMediaCommunicationsAudit

AGuideToUnderstandingandImplementation
NPowerNorthwest|www.npowernw.org 11/18/2010

Thisdocumentisintendedtoprovideadescriptionofwhatasocialmediaauditis,howitcanbenefit yournonprofitorganizationandthetoolsyoucanusetocompleteanaudit.Itisintendedtobevaluable asastandalonetoolthatyoucanusetocompletethistaskonyourownorwiththehelpofexternal consultation.Themethodologyandframeworkcontainedinthesedocumentsisbasedlargelyon resourcesdevelopedbyJuliaCoffmanfortheCommunicationsConsortiumMediaCenterforthepurposes ofatraditionalcommunicationsaudit.Themajorityoftheinformationistheirpropertyandourfocusat NPowerhasbeentoupdatethecontentandmodifythematerialforuserelatedspecificallytosocial media.Thistoolcanbefreelyusedandmodifiedtomeetyourneedsasyouseefit,howeverweaskthat thetoolbesharedfreelyandnotrepurposedforsaleasaproductonitsown.

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Nonprofitorganizationsshouldcontinuouslybelookingforwaystobemorestrategicintheirsocial mediaefforts.SocialMediaactivitiesshouldadduptomorethanaseriesofcompletedtasksandsimply doing.Beingstrategicrequiresnonprofitsbemoredeliberate,innovative,andsavvy,andlessreactive intheircommunicationspractices.Nonprofitsareencouragedtoregardsocialmediaasacomponentof, notseparatefrom,overallcommunications.Ifthegoalistobuildsustainable,efficientandeffective socialmediaefforts,itisessentialthatitbeintegratethroughouttheorganizationsprocessesand systems. Whilealotoffocusisputonthedevelopmentofstrategiesandinitiativesthesealonedonotaddress thelargerquestionofsustainability. Willtheorganizationactuallyfollowthroughonthestrategiesandwhat,realistically,istheir capacitytodoso? Whataretherealitiesofcompetingneedsandlimitedresourcesandhowdoesthisaffectthe capacityquestion? Whatarerealisticexpectationsforwhatwecanhopetoaccomplishgiventhecurrentrealities? Ifwewishtomakechangestooursystemshowdoweknowwheretostartandhowcanwetrack progress? Nonprofitsneedtoolstobetterunderstandtheircurrentsocialmediacommunicationsperformanceand capacity,andtogainanimprovedsenseofwhatispossibleintermsofdevelopingefforts.Asocial mediacommunicationauditisonetoolthatcanhelptomeetthisneed.

SocialMediaCommunicationsAuditsDefined
Asocialmediacommunicationsauditisasystematicassessment,eitherformalorinformal,ofan organizationscapacityfor,orperformanceof,essentialcommunicationspractices.Itdetermineswhat isworkingwell,whatisnot,andwhatmightworkbetterifadjustmentsaremade. Definedinthisway,asocialmediacommunicationsaudithasbothevaluativeandformativevalue.Itis evaluativeinthatitprovidesasnapshotofwhereanorganizationcurrentlystandsintermsofitssocial mediacapacityorperformance.Itisformativeinthatitalsopointstoareasinwhichtheorganization canstrengthenitsperformance. Whilesocialmediaauditsarearelativelynewpractice,communicationsauditsareacommonpractice andhavebeenutilizedforanumberofyears.Theyaremorecommonamongforprofitsthan nonprofits,andnotfamiliartomostnoncommunicationsprofessionals.Auditsaremostoften performedbyexternalcommunicationsorevaluationexperts,butcanalsobeperformedinternally.The intentionofthisauditistoadaptatriedandtruetoolforthisnewareaofcommunicationstoincrease thewaysorganizationscanbecomemorestrategicintheirefforts. Thisdocumenthasbeendevelopedasaresourcefornonprofitorganizationsthatwanttobetter understandsocialmediaauditsandthemainstepsinvolved.Itcanbeusedbynonprofitsthateither wanttoselfassessandperformtheirownaudit,ormightbelookingtohireanexternalconsultant. Thisdocumentoutlinesfivebasicstepsinasocialmediacommunicationsaudit.Theauditcanbeapplied toanorganizationoverall,ortoaspecificprojectorcampaignwithintheorganization.Therearemany approachesyoucantaketoperforminganaudit;thisdocumentprovidesguidanceforoneofthe possibilities.
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STEPONE:KnowCriticalSocialMediaCommunicationsPractices
Knowingthespecificpracticesassociatedwithsocialmediacommunicationsisthefirststeptoassessing anorganizationsperformanceandcapacity.Thesearepracticesthateverynonprofittryingto implementsocialmediacommunicationsshouldbeperformingatsomelevel,whetherbyasingle individualorbymanystaffmembersthroughouttheorganization. Thetableonthenextpageidentifiessixteenessentialsocialmediacommunicationspractices.Theyare groupedintofourcategories:1)strategy,2)implementation,3)integration,and4)supportand alignment. StrategyIncludesthecoretasksofcommunicationsplanningandstrategydevelopment. ImplementationIncludespracticesmostcommontoanorganizationwithanactivecommunications function. IntegrationIncludesthecoreelementsofintegratingsocialmediacommunicationswithother communicationchannels. SupportIncludesnoncommunicationsspecificpracticeswithintheorganizationthathelpstoensure thecommunicationsfunctionissuccessful. Thetablealsooffersqualitystandardsorcriteriaforeachpractice.Theydescribeinbriefwhatthe practicesshouldlooklike.Thislisthassubstantialvalueintheauditprocess.Itcanbeusedasachecklist tohelpdetermineifanorganizationisactuallyperformingeachsocialmediacommunicationspractice. Butmoreimportantly,theauditprocesscanrevealifqualitycriteriaarebeingmetand,ifnot,where improvementscanbemadeinhowthepracticeisperformed.

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EssentialSocialMediaPractices
SocialMediaPractices Identifythevision Identifygoalsandoutcomes Selecttargetaudience Platformselection Policies&procedures Listeningresearch Assetevaluation Toolselection Communitydevelopment Trainedrepresentatives Buildvaluablepartnerships Monitor&evaluate Website Need platform Blog Emailmarketing OtherSocialMediaPlatforms Printmaterials Offline Supportattheleadershiplevel Allocatesufficientresources Involvestaffatalllevels QualityCriteria/Standards Thecommunicationvisionisinlinewith,butdistinctly differentfrom,themissionoftheorganization SMARTgoalsandoutcomeshavebeenidentified (Specific,Measurable,Achievable,Realistic,Timely) Specificaudiencegroupsareidentifiedandmay includekeystakeholdersandinfluencers Specificplatformshavebeenidentifiedandselected basedontheirabilitytosupportgoals Policiesandprocedureshavebeenputinplaceto clarifyprocessanddefineappropriateimplementation Researchisdonetolearnwhatotherorganizationsare doingandthecontentoftheconversation Aninventoryofwhatyouhavetoworkwith(staff, knowledge,etc.)andwhatvalueyouadd Platformsareselectedbasedontheirabilitytosupport yourgoalsandaccessibilitytoyourtargetaudience Activestepsaretakentounderstandandfosterthe developmentofyouronlinecommunities Appropriatetrainingisprovidedtothosepeople responsibleforparticipatingonbehalfofyourorg Relationshipshavebeenmadewithinternaland externalstakeholderswhoalignwithyourgoals Activitiesarecontinuouslymonitoredandevaluated forthepurposesofaccountabilityandimprovement Strategiclinkagesandintegrationbetweensocial mediaeffortsandyourwebsite Strategiclinkagesandbetweensocialmediaefforts andyourblog Strategiclinkagesandintegrationbetweensocial mediaeffortsandyouremailefforts Strategiclinkagesandintegrationbetweenallsocial mediaplatforms Strategiccrosspromotionofsocialmediaeffortsis takingplaceinprintedmaterials Strategiccrosspromotionofsocialmediaeffortsis takingplaceinofflineactivities Managementunderstandandsupportsocialmediaas partoftheoverallcommunicationstrategyoftheorg Financialandhumanresourcesarededicatedto supportingthesocialmediaefforts Socialmediaisnotseenasanisolatedfunction;mostif notallstaffmembershavesomeknowledgeand/or participationincommunicationsefforts
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Support

Integration

Implementation

Strategy

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STEPTWO:IdentifyPossibleLevelsofPractice
Toassessanorganizationonthepracticesintheprevioustable,itisimportanttohaveagaugethat helpstomeasureandillustratewheretheorganizationcurrentlystandsintermsofitsperformance. Thatgaugeisofferedhereintheformofapracticematurityscale. Thepracticematurityscaleoffersacontinuumofpossibleperformancelevelsforanygivenpractice.The figurebelowillustratesthescalesfivelevels.Higherlevelsinthescalerepresenthigherlevelsof organizationalcommitmentto,integrationof,andperformanceonthepractice.Eachpracticemaybe classifiedas1)adhoc,2)planned,3)institutionalized,4)evaluated,and5)optimized. Our current stage 0 1 2 3 4 5 NotPerformed AdHoc Planned Institutionalized Evaluated Optimized
Uncoordinated Unassigned NoResources Deliberate/ managed Resources allocated Responsibility assigned Regularly performed Bestpractices Coordinated Performance Performance measured Progresstracked Practice predictable Regular Regular reflection Continuous improvement

Duringanauditandorganizationscurrentperformanceoneachsocialmediacommunicationspractice canbeassessedusingthisscale.Itisimportanttounderstandthedistinctionsbetweenthefivelevels.

LevelOne:AdHoc
Thecommunicationspracticeisadhocandunorganized.Few,ifany,staffandfinancialresourcesare dedicatedtoit.Successisbasedonthecompetenceandeffortsofoneortwoheroicindividuals.Despite thischaoticenvironment,howeverthecommunicationspracticemaybeimplementedsuccessfully.But becauseitisuncoordinated,effortsareofteninefficientandgooverbudgetandschedule.Qualitymay alsobevariablebecausedifferentpeopleperformthepracticeovertime.

LevelTwo:Planned
Thepracticeisplannedanddeliberateasopposedtobeingperformedonareactiveorasneeded basis.Resourcesareallocatedtothepractice,responsibilitiesareassigned,andtheprocessismanaged. Thepracticedoesnotoccurregularly,however,andmaystillbeperformedbyoneortwoindividuals.

LevelThree:Institutionalized

We need to be here

Thepracticeisroutineandpartoftheorganizationsfabric.Theorganizationhasqualitatively determinedthebestwaytoapproachthepracticeandhasinstitutionalizedit.Practicesareknownand coordinatedwithinandoutsidetheorganization.

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LevelFour:Evaluated
Thepracticeisevaluatedandanalyzed.Measuresofperformanceandprogressarecollectedand analyzed.Oftenaquantitativeunderstandingofsuccessisknownandtracked,andtheorganizationhas abetterabilitytopredictorestimateperformance.

LevelFive:Optimized
Becauseofitsrecognizedimportancetotheorganization,thepracticeiscontinuouslyreflectedonand improvementsincorporated. Distinctionsbetweenlevelsoneandtwoarebasedonthedegreetowhichanorganizationisreactive anddisorganized(levelone)versuspurposefulandproactive(leveltwo).Atlevelthree,thepracticeis performedregularly,consistentlyacrossstaffmembers,andhasbeenperformedenoughthatthe organizationhasgainedacertainlevelofproficiencyatit.Atlevelfour,theorganizationhascommitted totrackingthepracticeforpurposesofbetterunderstandinghowtoimproveperformance.The organizationismonitoringthequalityofthepractice.Levelfivedemonstratesanevenhigherlevelof organizationalcommitmenttothepractice,astheorganizationcaresenoughaboutittolearnand improveperformanceovertime.

Motivate associates to support

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STEPTHREE:AssessCurrentPerformanceandCapacity
Themaintasksforthethirdauditsteparetocollectdataaboutcommunicationspracticesandtouse thatdatatomakeassessmentsaboutorganizationalperformanceandcapacity.Itinvolvesactuallyusing thescaledescribedabovetogaugewheretheorganizationstandsonallessentialsocialmedia communicationspractices.Thefigureonthenextpageillustratesinmatrixformhowthisassessment mightbestructured.Notethatthisauditstepcouldalsoinvolvelookingatactualcommunications strategycontentormaterialsandmakingassessmentsabouttheirquality. Thematrixlaysoutthetwentyonecommunicationpracticesalongthebottomrow,andthepractice maturityscalevertically.Usersfillintheboxthatbestrepresentswhereonthescaletheorganization fallsforeachpractice(anexampleofhowthismightlookwhenfilledoutisprovidedlaterinthisbrief).

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SocialMediaAuditMatrix
Theorganizationmaybeassessedeitherinternallyorbyanoutsideexpertoneachofthesocialmediapracticeareasusingthefivelevelscale. Legend 5.Optimized 4.Evaluated 3.Institutionalized 2.Planned 1.AdHoc 0.NotPerformed CurrentLevelofActivity OpportunityGap Othersocialmediaplatforms Supportattheleadershiplevel

Allocatesufficientresources Support

Identifygoalsandoutcomes

Buildvaluablepartnerships

Communitydevelopment

Strategy

Implementation

Integration

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Involvestaffatalllevels

Trainedrepresentatives

Selecttargetaudience

Policies&procedures

Monitor&evaluate

Platformselection

Listeningresearch

Identifythevision

Assetevaluation

Emailmarketing

Printmaterials

Toolselection

Website

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Offline

Blog

Internalvs.ExternalAssessment
Itisimportantatthispointtodetermineifassessmentsaboutorganizationalpracticeswillbemade internallyorbyoutsideexperts.Theadvantagestodoingitinternallyarethatdirectcostsarelikelytobe lowerandtheprocessmaybecomeanengagingorganizationalexercisethatbuildscommunications capacityinandofitself.Theadvantagestousingoutsideexpertsaretheirobjectivity,timeand availability,theknowledgetheybringfromotherorganizationsforcomparisonpurposes,andthe credibilitythatmayaccompanytheircredentialsandexpertise.

PotentialCommunicationsAuditMethods
Regardlessofwhethertheauditisdoneinternallyorexternally,acommonsetofmethodscanbeused togatherdataneededtomakeassessmentsaboutpractices.Methodsaredescribedbrieflybelowinthe contextofacommunicationsauditandthenfollowedbyatablethatcomparesthemontime,cost,and informationyield.Itishelpfultonotethatwhiletheuseofoneormoreofthesemethodsis recommended,itisalsopossibletoconductthesocialmediacommunicationsauditinformallyby,for example,askingeachstaffmembertogivehisorherownindependentandsubjectiveassessments basedonexistingknowledgeandexperience,orconveningstafftomakecollectiveassessments. InterviewsProbablythemostcommonauditmethod,interviewsallowthepersonconductingthe audittobetterunderstandcommunicationsrelatedworkprocesses.Interviewsallowrespondents toprovidearichqualitativeaccountofhowpracticesareperformedandhowtheorganization treatscommunications.Interviewscanalsobeconductedwiththeorganizationsexternal stakeholdersortargetaudiences. SurveysSurveysorquestionnairesarethesecondmostcommonauditmethod.Theycanbe administeredcheaplytoallorganizationalstaffwithinashorttimeframe,andtheyallowfora standardizationandcomparisonofresponses. CriticalIncidentAnalysisStaffareaskedtodescribe,throughanintervieworquestionnaire, specificeffectiveandineffectiveexperienceswithcommunications.Thepurposeistocollect examplesofexperiencesthatstafffindmemorableinordertodeterminehowcommunications practicesareperformedwithinsituationalcontexts. NetworkAnalysisNetworkanalysishasgainedmuchpopularityinrecentyearsasamethodfor examininginformationflow,orthechannelsandrelationshipsthroughwhichinformationis exchanged.Itasksindividualswhotheycommunicatewithandforwhatpurpose.Itrevealsan organizationscommunicationstructure,whichmaybeverydifferentfromitsorganizational structure.Italsorevealswhereblockagesareoccurringandpossibleroutesthatarecurrently untapped. ParticipantObservationTheindividualconductingtheauditparticipatesinorganizational activitiesinvolvingcommunicationsinordertoseehowandwhenpracticesareperformed. DocumentReviewCommunicationsdocuments(publications,campaignmaterials,pressreleases, etc.)arereviewedtoassessthedevelopmentandtargetingofmaterialsasacommunications practice. FocusGroupsGroupsoffivetofifteenpeoplemeetinamoderateddiscussionandrespondto openendedquestionsaboutcommunicationspracticesandorganizationalcapacity.Theirmain advantageisthegroupinteractionthattakesplaceasparticipantsreacttoandbuilduponone anothersresponses.

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ComparingPotentialAuditMethods
ComparingPotential AuditMethodsMethod Interviews Surveys CriticalIncident Analysis NetworkAnalysis ParticipantObservation DocumentReview FocusGroups TimetoNonprofit 3060minuteseach 2030minuteseach 2030minuteseach 2030minuteseach Variable None 12hours Cost Moderately expensive(timeto conduct,analyze) Moderately expensive Inexpensive Expensive(analysis, software) Expensive(time) Expensive(time) Moderately expensive(depends onnumber) InformationYield Qualitative,indepth data Standardizeddata Specificexamplesof practice/processflow Process flow/interactionand integration Processflow Material,message evaluation Qualitativeindepth data;

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STEPFOUR:IdentifyAreasforImprovement
Oncetheassessmentsaremade,thenextstepistoidentifyareasinwhichtheorganizationcan improve.Notethatnonprofitorganizationsarenotexpectedtobealevelfiveonallsocialmedia communicationspractices.Rather,theassessmentofwheretheorganizationshouldbemustbebased onanaccountingoftheorganizationsrealisticcapabilitieswithrespecttocommunications.For example,itmaynotbereasonabletoexpectthatallfundingthatcomesintoanorganizationwillhave dollarsearmarkedforsocialmediacommunications.Whileanorganizationcanmakesocialmedia communicationsapriorityandrequestspecificresourcesforit,theoutcomealsodependsonwhat fundersarewillingtosupport. Completingtheauditmatrixwillimmediatelyprovidetheorganizationwithareasforimprovement.The followingcasestudyaboutahypotheticalnonprofitpolicyadvocacyorganizationdemonstrateshowthe socialmediacommunicationsauditcanbeused.Thematrixhasbeenfilledintorepresentthis hypotheticalorganizationsperformanceonthetwentyoneessentialsocialmediacommunications practices.

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CaseStudy SampleOrganizationalAssessment
5.Optimized 4.Evaluated 3.Institutionalized 2.Planned 1.AdHoc 0.NotPerformed Platforms Audience Listening Policies Assets Vision Goals Tools Community Partnerships Resources Involvestaff

Other platforms Print Materials Offline

Website

Monitor

Training

Strategy

Legend CurrentPerformanceandCapacity:Intheareaofstrategy,thishypotheticalorganizationhasasolid understandingofbestpracticesandtheneedtosetoverarchinggoals.However,theirlackoffocuson evaluatingaudienceandformalizingeffortsisclear.Asaresult,thiscreatesasenseofcompletenessin termsofplanningbutoftentimesleavesunansweredquestionsregardingthevalueofsocialmediafor theorganization.Thisthencreatesasenseoflimitedcommitmenttoactivitiesandanoveralladhocuse ofstaffandresources. Regardingimplementation,theorganizationslackofstrategydevelopmenthasleftstaffwithanoverall senseoffeelinglost.Themainfocushasbeentocontinuewithabroadcastapproachtomessagingwith littlefocusonstrategicimplementationofefforts.Inaddition,thelackoffocusonaformalinventoryof availableassetshasleftitunclearastowhichstaffisbestsuitedtocompletewhichtasks. Integrationisthestrongestofthefourareasoffocus.Thehistoricalunderstandingofmetricanalysis regardingthewebsitehashelpedestablishafoundationforasimilarapproachtohowsocialmedia effortsareintegrated.Inaddition,asimilarfocusontheenewsletterhasallowedforbaselevel integrationintothiscommunicationchannel.Untilamorestrategicapproachcanbedevelopedandthe valuebetterdemonstrated,theorganizationhasdecidedtoholdoffoncreatingablogorusingmore thanonesocialmediaplatform. Intermsofsupport,executiveleadershiprecognizestherisingneedtobetterutilizesocialmedia,but hasbeenslowtoallocateappropriateresourcestosupportituntilthevaluecanbebetter demonstrated.Forsimilarreasonstheroleofsocialmediafortheorganizationatlargehasnotbeen extendedbeyondthetwostaffwhohavebeeninformallychargedwithcarryingoutthese responsibilities.
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Implementation Integration CurrentLevelofActivity OpportunityGap

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Support

Email

Blog

Support

AreasforImprovement:Whiletheauditprocesshasrevealedanumberofareasthatcouldbe improved,therearesomeclearpriorityareas.Thecyclicalrelationshipthatseemstobeholdingback progressinmostareasisalackofidentifiedvalue.Withoutclearlyidentifiedvaluemostareasremainat anadhoclevelandfewresourceswillbeallocatedtosupporttheseactivities.Consequently,with activitiesbeingperformedatonlyanadhoclevelthereislittleopportunitytofindanddemonstrate value. Theorganizationcouldgainthegreatestvaluefromprioritizingtwoareas:developingtheirstrategyand buildingonthelevelevaluationofcurrentefforts.Afocusongrowthintheareasofstrategyand planningwouldgivetheorganizationastrongersenseofwhatvaluetheyarecapableofgainingfrom theirsocialmediaactivities.Thiswouldresultinafoundationtomakemorestrategiceffortsintheother areas.Ifthereisnosupportprovidedforevaluationofcurrenteffortsthereislittlehopeofseeing demonstratedvalueatanypoint,whethercampaignsaresuccessfulornot. Fornow,socialmediaeffortswillmostlikelyremainfocusedononeplatformandcarriedoutbythetwo identifiedstaff.Asthevalueoftheseeffortsbecomemorecleartheresponsibilityandintegration acrosstheorganizationshouldbefurtherdeveloped.

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STEPFIVE:RefinePracticeandRepeattheProcessasNeeded
Thesocialmediacommunicationsauditshouldresultinmorethanjustanidentificationofareasfor improvement.Tomaximizethechancesthatauditfindingswillbeusedandactualpracticeimprovedas aresult,theauditshould: Demonstratethroughdatahowcommunicationsproblemsarecausingproblemsinthepresent(as opposedtospeculatingabouttheirfutureimpact).Atthesametime,theauditshouldreinforce practicesthatarecurrentorganizationalstrengths. Generatespecificrecommendationsforenhancementofcommunicationpractice.Dataneedtobe linkedtoconcreteactions. Maketransparenttheorganizationalbenefitsofadoptingthoseactions;inadditiontothe weaknessestheyaredesignedtoaddress. Prioritizerecommendationssoorganizationsarenotimmobilizedbytheprospectofimplementing them. Intermsoffrequency,formalcommunicationsauditsshouldbeconductedabouteveryfiveyears. Informalauditsonwhichorganizationsinternallyrevisittheirsocialmediacommunicationscapacityand performancelevelsmaybedonemorefrequently.Auditsshouldalsobeconsideredafteran organizationexperiencesacriticalincidentthatmightaffectcommunications,suchasachangein missionorleadership,orintheeventofacrisis.

Conclusion
Asdescribedhere,socialmediacommunicationsauditsare,attheircore,anevaluationtool.Unlike mostevaluationtoolsorpractices,however,theydonotfocusontheresultsoroutcomesofan organizationscommunicationspracticesaftertheyareimplementedoramongtheirtargetaudiences. Rather,theyfocusontheorganizationitself,itspracticeandcapacity,andhowtheorganizationhas positionedthecommunicationsfunction.Nonprofitorganizationsoftenoverlookthistypeof assessmentasapossibilitywhenaskedtoevaluatetheircommunicationsstrategiesoractivities. Experiencingthesocialmediacommunicationsauditprocess,usingtheapproachdescribedhereor anotherdesignedtowardasimilarend,canbeacriticalpartofanorganizationsprogressiontoward morestrategicand,ultimately,moreeffectivesocialmediacommunications.

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